


How to conquer a Kingdom… without intending it

by ownedbyNDA



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Bottom Will Solace, King Nico di Angelo, M/M, Prince Will Solace, Slave Will Solace, Top Nico di Angelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-08-29 01:18:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16734291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ownedbyNDA/pseuds/ownedbyNDA
Summary: Being a slave is terrible. Being the slave of the king who wants to invade your kingdom is much worse. But it is even more terrible to see your kingdom devastated by treason and war. What can a young prince do, without an army, without strength, even without a name, to avoid this horrible fate?





	1. Chapter I

Nico couldn’t tell which feeling was more powerful. The anger that ran cold through his body making him tremble, or the pain that squeezed his heart and weakened his knees. He finally fell on his knees, letting tears run freely down his cheeks as he gazed at the body of his father, King Hades, lying on his bed, with a golden arrow with white feathers sticking out of his chest, an arrow enchanted by the royal family of Helios. There was still some life in him, although his consciousness was lost.

Gathering all his spiritual strength, broke the shaft of the arrow and began the secret ritual of the heirs of Erebus, άγγελος του θανάτου, his hands began to run on the body of his father linking the vital energy of the king to that of his son. Drops of sweat ran down the prince's forehead, as he felt a part of his soul move to his father's.

When he felt there was enough life in him, he separated his hands and brought them to his father's head. Enchantments came out of his mouth naturally ‘ _Lord Erebus, lord of the kings of this kingdom, you who created the mountains and ravines that protect our people, keep the life of your son, King Hades, sealed, until we find a way to save his life and his soul. Listen to the prayer of an heir of your house. Link my life to my father's until I get a cure, and let me use the gifts of the king to seek justice_ ’.

A purple light enveloped the king's body while Nico gently kissed his father's forehead. As he parted, the purple light seemed to form a coffin around the king, and Nico knew that his prayers had been heard. His father would remain safe and without corruption until he could find a way to save him.

For the time being, he would have to deal with other matters along with his sisters, counselors and generals: deciding whether to enter the war with the kingdom of Helios. He hurried out of the king's rooms while his black cloak fluttered behind him.

 

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Will Solace wasn’t the crown prince, his older brothers Lee and Michael, fortunately, were earlier in the line of succession. Even though his younger siblings, Kayla and Austin, were lovely and loved by everyone, Will was, without a doubt, the king's favorite. Clearly, he was the most similar to his father in the physical aspect. At seventeen, he was tall, slender and tanned, with rumpled blond hair like a solar crown, his freckles around his nose giving him a mischievous and slightly childish look, almost feminine; but the thing that most resemble to his father was his big, deep blue eyes, covered by long, thick lashes.

However, the physical resemblance wasn’t what his father loved the most. No. What Apollo really loved about his son is that he was the one who inherited the kind and brave heart of his late wife Naomi.

The queen had died giving birth to her youngest son, Austin, and the king had sunk into such deep sadness that it would have ended with him and the kingdom if not been for Prince Will. The boy, then eight years old, had taken charge of staying with his father all the time, encouraging him, taking care of him, singin for him and trying to make him smile, as he had seen his mother a thousand times when the weight of the kingdom was too much for the king.

Apollo had taken almost two years to recover, but he had finally succeeded. Will was happiest to have his father back, vibrant and cheerful as always, although his smile never ceased to have a sad tinge since the loss of his beloved queen.

However, Will was worried. During those two years, his cousin Octavio, at that time a young adviser to the king, had gained immense power within the kingdom, second only to that of Crown Prince Lee and the king himself. Lee and Octavio didn’t get along. By the gods they didn’t.

The brave prince was noble, frank and just. While his cousin was a skilled manipulator, ambitious and selfish. Although Will didn’t appreciate the presence of the counselor, he understood when his father explained that Lee and Octavio were the perfect balance for his decision-making. Lee's natural kindness always advised the king to be more confident of his allies and subjects. The natural malice of Octavio, allowed him to find the double intentions and the bad part of each one. Both contrasts led him to maintain a measured stance in all his decisions as ruler.

What the king didn’t see, and it was perfectly clear to young Will, was that Octavios's natural malice even acted against his father. Especially, Will could feel it on his skin every time he saw Octavio talking in secret with his personal guard, Bryce Lawrence, who, if the rumors were true, was nothing but a cold-blooded killer, Octavio's companion in his years as a student in the Olympus kingdom. That pair only pushed the prince to the edge of his nerves.

That uneasiness was increasing every day and, to top it off, Octavio seemed to have been determined to win the favor of the prince most loved by the king. He took him on horseback to hunt wild animals in the forest, where Octavio would shoot them down with his bow while Bryce would stab them with joy in his throat until the last drop of life escaped their bodies.

Will hated that show and more than once he had fled of the carnage while his eyes shed tears for those poor creatures. They weren’t animals killed by hunger or defense, they had been hunted simply for the pleasure of bringing death and showing power. That was inhuman. Octavio used to meet the prince in the infirmary, where he used to caress the head of the young prince, telling him that he must be strong, since the king's enemies could take advantage of his weakness. Will hated every caress of his older cousin.

 

\------------------------------------OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-------------------------------------------------

 

Nico Di Angelo, heir prince of Erebus, let out an annoyed sigh.

\- "What you're saying, Annabeth, is that we don’t have enough evidence to attack those cowards? Isn’t enough with the arrow my father has in the center of his chest?"

\- "What I am saying, oh dear prince, is that you can’t let anger control you at this moment and enter into war with the kingdom that provides us with the greatest amount of food. A war with Helios would plunge our people into hunger" -the blonde adviser replied, while a frown shadowed her beautiful face.

-"Let me see if I understand, Annabeth” -replied Princess Bianca as she twirled a silver arrow between her fingers and a hard look at the chief advisor- "My father, the king, who welcomed you like a daughter fifteen years ago, was cowardly ambushed, almost killed with an arrow of the Helios royal family, if not for the sacrifice of my brother's soul, and we can’t claim revenge because we wouldn’t have fruits and vegetables for breakfast? I say that we finish with all the royal family of Helios and liberate to that town of cowardly and useless governors. In that way, we will also ensure the supply of food to Erebus".

General Reyna, head of the black armies of Erebus and best friend of the crown prince, sighed with irritation:

-"Princess, we aren’t saying that we don’t seek justice -something completely different from revenge- what we are saying is that Helios is currently unstable. The black plague that is advancing in the country during the last six months has terrified the population. The crops are being abandoned and still, they continue to send their merchandise to our kingdom. Throughout the reign of King Apollo we had never suffered the slightest threat. It doesn’t make any sense that they attacked us without provocation. Three years ago, during the intense frosts that ravaged our kingdom, your father met on the border with King Apollo and got a treaty of food support in exchange for non-precious metals, only steel and copper for the industry of Helios. Although King Apollo desperate King Hades with his horrible puns, the concept he had of Apollo is that he is a noble and fair king. I can’t believe he attacked us. There must be something else that we aren’t seeing"      -the impressive warrior caressed her black braid as she remembered the hopeful face of King Hades when he returned to the palace with the guarantee that his people wouldn’t starve to death, and couldn’t help comparing that face to the tormented face of his son.

At twenty, the heir prince had become the most beautiful and impressive man in the kingdom. He had left behind the small and scrawny body he had at thirteen, when Reyna had been admitted as guard of the palace and had established a deep friendship with the prince.

His long black hair floated in the wind when he rode his black horse, or held it in a ponytail when he practiced with his Stygian iron sword. Nico was tall and slender, but with broad shoulders and powerful and efficient muscles. His face was simply beautiful, with deep and expressive black eyes, straight nose and thin pink lips. The square and masculine jaw, adorned with the almost perpetual shade of a beard, gave him a sensual look that drove all the young maidens of the kingdom crazy ... and most of the young boys.

The prince had had intercourses with a couple of young maidens of the kingdom, but it was quickly evident that his preference was for handsome men. Nico was famous for the number of young men who had passed through his bedroom, or who had accompanied him on short trips in different parts of the kingdom.

But practically everyone was captivated by the beauty of the prince or by his status as a future king. Neither had been able to understand his need for affection since he lost his mother at the age of ten, or his uncertainty as the figure his father needed as an heir.

The constant pressure to try to be the best in everything so that his father was proud of him. His need to protect his sisters from threats inside and outside the palace. The princesses were the light of Nico’s eyes, Bianca (the eldest of the three) and Hazel (not his real sister, but his cousin, daughter of the late brother of the king, who had been with them since before her first birthday). His protective instinct reached every one of his friends and extended to all the subdits of his kingdom.

Above all, no one understood the pressure to give an heir to the Di Angelo family. Although relations between the same sex were widely accepted in Erebus, the prince should father an heir. Nico couldn’t imagine choosing a wife just for having a child. A wedding without love didn’t fit in his mind. He wanted a love like his parents', that transcended even death. King Hades had never remarried, not even to seek the comfort of a courtesan, because he couldn’t imagine himself in other arms than those of Queen Maria Di Angelo.

If Nico lost his father now, Reyna wasn’t sure what would happen to him, so she could understand the courage that pushed to the surface wishing to rampage the whole kingdom of Helios for attacking the king. Sighing, she approached the prince to take his face in her hands.

-"My prince, I know all the pain that weighs in your heart, but I ask you, not as a general but as a friend, control that anger. We can’t push a war without looking for another options, without knowing all the causes. That will only bring pain, suffering and death to thousands of innocents, in both kingdoms".

Nico seemed resigned to the warning of his general, which Annabeth took the opportunity to intervene.

-"Your Highness, let me send spies to the kingdom of Helios to search more about this cowardly attack. I can send the Stolls to infiltrate the palace and know the truth".

The prince's frown deepened, as if he remembered something painful, although the shadow of a smile appeared on his face.

-"Annabeth, are you sure about this? I don’t want to pay a ransom for those two troublemakers… again. Remember the fiasco with the Duke of Mars?"

A general laugh erupted throughout the room. When Annabeth regained her breath, she replied:

-"I promise you, Your Highness, that this time they will only be dedicated to obtaining information. I will make them swear that they will not smuggle liquor from the palace back to neighboring kingdoms ... or at least I hope so".

The princes looked at each other and when Bianca just shrugged her shoulders, Nico nodded. Annabeth left the council room to find her best spies.


	2. Chapter II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Writer's block and depression usually go hand in hand. But I hope you like this chapter ;)

The young general Jason Grace and his equally young lieutenant, Frank Zhang, couldn’t hide the shadow of concern in their eyes as they watched two other carts with patients of black plague arriving at the hospital created by Queen Naomi.

Six months ago, a strange disease began to advance into the kingdom of Helios from the borders with Erebus. However, that disease hadn’t advanced towards the neighboring kingdom but towards Helios, as if it had a mind of its own and sought to attack only in the sunny villages of King Apollo's kingdom.

There were rumors of all kinds. Some said it was a disease that had arisen from the vapors of the Erebus mines, infecting the water of the rivers that went into Helios.

Others said it was a curse of the dark gods of Erebus, angry about the growing friendship between the two kingdoms, ignoring centuries of wars between them... A divine vengeance seemed meaningless, in the opinion of the General, not always willing to deal with the hollow interests of the gods.

Other rumors, the most inconceivable but, unfortunately, the most widespread thanks to the vehement exposure of them by Octavian, is that it was a strategy of poisoning created by the royal family of Erebus to weaken the neighboring kingdom and to snatch their richness.

Lee, Michael, and Jason had created a united front before the king to discredit that horrible version, and the discussion of the previous day was still fresh in their minds.

 

\----------------------------------------------OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO------------------------------------------

 

 _-"Father" -_ claimed Lee _\- "it’is inconceivable that this version can even be named out loud. Erebus depends on us for food, and its minerals keep our industry growing. What reason would they have to attack us? I don’t think they want to die of hunger, even the armies have to eat"_

 _-"Precisely, young prince" -_ Octavian said in a soft and compassionate voice _\- "maybe you are still so young and confident to see the evil of the people. But I can assure you that people, with the constant threat of hunger, would see as something normal to appropriate the lands that will ensure their food. Not depending on the decision of a neighboring king, not seem weak, is a powerful incentive to attack us" -concluded the counselor looking at the prince as somebody look at a small child who begins to ask questions about the world of adults, despite be only five years older than the crown prince. Jason frowned_

 _-"Your Heighness, as interesting as the suppositions of the honorable councilor Octavian may seem"  -_ prince Michael couldn’t hide a smile at the general's words- _"they have a fundamental mistake. The plague is mainly threatening agricultural areas, not industrial ones. If their intention is to ensure their food, why would they destroy the source that provides these foods? That would only weaken them"_

 _-"Father" -_ Michael intervened _\- "I was with you three years ago with King Hades. Did you look at him as someone with double intentions, who conceals his reasons under cloaks of deception? He seemed to me a completely fair and sincere man, despite his almost perpetual look of bitterness and gloomy glares"_

_The king couldn’t help but smile at the memory. As much as he tried to lighten the negotiations with Hades, he couldn’t get even the tiniest smile ... By the gods, did that man even have the muscles to move his mouth in a smile? Or maybe it had atrophied after his wife's death, something that Apollo could related to._

_-"You're right Michael, King Hades seems so worried about his people that I can’t believe that he put them at risk. In addition, he swore friendship with us for the river Styx, which is the most sacred oath that the Erebian can summon. I don’t think he dared to break it" -and then, turning to his counselor with an almost fatherly smile..._

_-"Octavian. I'm sure I can count on the king's friendship, but I can’t help thinking that the appearance of that disease on the border with Erebus has something to do with our neighbors. Maybe it has a natural cause and then it will be something we can control. I'll go see King Hades. I will ask his support to investigate the possible natural causes within the border of Erebus with Helios. You and Bryce's company will accompany us. Jason, you're in charge in my absence"_

_For a fraction of a second, Jason thought he saw a look of terror pass through the counselor's eyes, but it disappeared immediately. That fraction of a second was enough to turn on alarm signals to the general._

 

\--------------------------------------------OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO----------------------------------------------

 

As Jason and Frank approached the hospital, they could see in the distance the ruffled blond hair of Prince Will who was working fervently at the reception of new patients. A shared smile spread across both soldiers' mouths.

Eight years ago, a young fifteen-year-old Jason, exceptionally talented, was accepted as a palace guard, charged with ensuring the safety of Prince Will.

The king supposed that someone closer in age to the prince would be a better choice than an old guard, unable to have a connection with his merry son. And it had been a true success.

The young guard and the prince established a relationship so deep that it seemed like brothers, especially if they added their great physical resemblance. Will was so transparent and sweet, with endless amazement for everything, so concerned with any way of life, that he immediately won the heart of his retainer. Every time Jason arrived with the Prince sporting a blow or a cut for his training, the young prince couldn’t help but frown and proceed to heal his guard and friend with the greatest care and delicacy that Jason had ever received.

When two years passed and Jason got his first appointment as an officer, Will ran tears as much for joy at his friend's success as he did for sadness, because that meant he couldn’t care for him.

But Jason, anticipating the intentions of the councilor Octavian, who wanted his friend Bryce to become the prince's retainer, presented the young Frank to the king, a bastard son of the Duke of Mars who, despite being two years younger that Jason, was tall and strong as a bull, and fought like a cornered lion, since he had been trained for war in his native duchy almost before he could begin to walk.

The king had accepted enchanted, and the new guard and the prince had grown into a very close relationship, as friends of many years, full of jokes and cheerful games.

Three years later, when Will turned thirteen, Jason became the youngest general in the history of the kingdom of Helios and had charge of his own unit. Frank became his lieutenant, but they didn’t leave Will alone (both Jason and Frank had a bad feeling about Octavian), so his unit received, among other commissions, the safety of Prince Will.

Now, each of the soldiers, spent a week taking care of the prince, in a continuous rotation, so that Will became something like the regiment’s pet.

When Jason and Frank were near the hospital, they saw something that wiped the smile from their faces. While Will took a well deserved rest, leaning against the wall of the hospital, Bryce approached behind the prince and immobilized him with one arm while the other covered his mouth to prevent him from screaming. Before Will could react, Erin's sword, a red-haired soldier, was in Bryce's throat.

Octavian's hit man slowly released Will and turned to look into the eyes of the young soldier. Jason and Frank picked up the pace with the feeling that something horrible was about to happen.

Bryce, suddenly, raised his left arm to remove the sword from his throat and throw a punch with his right to the soldier's face. Erin took an agile step to one side, but received a kick in her right leg that made her lose her balance. At the moment of getting up, a dagger entered his chest sharply. Jason came running to stop Bryce's arm before he could deliver the final blow to Erin, while Frank lifted his companion in his arms.

Bryce kicked Jason as he looked at him with real hatred and ran to the side of the forest, Jason on his heels. When he reached the shade of a tree, Bryce disappeared without a trace.

Jason ran back to where Frank held Erin, who looked deep blue like the corpses they pulled out of the river. Searching with desperate eyes, he found Will running towards them with his medicine sachet in his hand.

-"Will!!! She don’t breathe!" -Frank yelled as Erin pant for breath in her unconsciousness

Will, despite being only seventeen, when it came to medical matters had the poise of the most seasoned generals.

Quickly but efficiently, he checked the young woman, laid her on her right side and tore her clothes from the left side. With his fingers, he clearly counted the first four ribs from top to bottom and, taking out a sharp knife, nailed it unceremoniously to Erin's chest in front of the wide eyes of the soldiers. Immediately, he took out a straw from some type of plant and inserted it into the wound left by his knife. A hiss escaped from the straw while Erin inhaled air through her mouth and began to relax her body.

-"His lung was collapsing. With my magic I can heal the wound in his lung, but I needed her to breathe to have a chance to heal it. Frank, please, take her inside and put her in my chamber"

While Frank was carrying Erin, Jason approached the prince, who gave him a look that clearly said ' _later_ ' and entered the hospital, followed by the general.

Erin, with her hair, red as fire, scattered on the pillow, now looked pale as a corpse. Will went to her and put his hands on the wound in her chest.

As if in a whisper, he began to sing a hymn to his patron Helios, giver of life, singing Erin's courage and heroism. Will's hands and face began to glow brightly, and Jason could feel the energy of the healer flowing toward the soldier. In front of the warriors, it could be clearly seen how the wound closed until it disappeared completely. At that moment, Will closed his eyes and collapsed in Jason's arms.


	3. Chapter III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy... please, comment. I have a certain blockage and I need to know if you like the direction this fic is taking.

Nico woke up at dawn with a feeling of oppression that ran through his body. He blinks when he saw a purple mist floating over his bed. He could feel the urgency with which that presence demands him to rise and follow it.

Running through the dark corridors of the palace, Nico came to his father's room. Beside him, a dark figure tried to break the god's protective aura with a long black knife: Stygian iron, Nico thought with terror. He didn’t bring his sword with him, so he took one of the Greek fire torches from the room and attacked the intruder. The scream of pain he heard as he burned the murderer's back filled him with joy, but he had to retreat quickly because the intruder counterattacked with the speed of a snake hitting his face. Hell, he was really good, but Nico too, so he didn’t give ground anymore and he returned the attack, throwing his opponent several feets back.

His surprise was so big when he saw his anemy get up and throw himself against the shadow of the wall and disappear. Shadow travel was a power reserved for the Erebian nobility, and no one in the kingdom handled it as well as he did, well, except for his father. Treason within the kingdom? Only the king's blood could go through the protection of the god around his father, but a Stygian iron blade would have the possibility of opening a hole large enough to allow the king to be hurt.

Noises of steps alerted him and, taking the killer's dagger, forgotten in the escape, he put himself on guard, but relaxed as soon as he saw Reyna, Bianca and Hazel enter with their weapons ready.

-"By the gods, Nico, what's wrong?" -Bianca cried as Hazel rushed to check her brother who had a bruise in his face.

-"Murderers in the night" -Nico replied somberly, while Michael, Reyna's lieutenant, entered the room with more guards.

Michael was a huge man, very battle-hardened and not afraid of anything, but the look on his face was disconcerting: doubt, fear, disbelief?

-"General, the two guards at the main entrance were killed. They cut their throats from behind. I can’t understand how they were surprised" -said the ashamed warrior. Nico put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

-"Shadow travel, my friend. It wasn’t their fault, Michael, or yours. The murderer arrived behind him without any way of discovering him. Poor men, they had no chance" -and Nico's heart was filled with anger for his soldiers, murdered in a cowardly manner -"The target was my father. You were right, Reyna, there is something else that we haven’t seen. First an arrow from Helios, then an assassin from Erebus. This makes no sense. I feel there are strange and powerful forces behind all this"

-"At least, we can’t worry about King Apollo, right?" -Hazel asked with hope reflected in her beautiful golden eyes.

-"Unfortunately not, Hazel" - Bianca answered in a somber way -"it can still be a plot organized in Helios"

-"But at least, this discourages us from attacking until we have clarity in what is happening" -replied Reyna trying to calm the strain. Bianca sighed but nodded. For the moment, that would be enough, in Reyna's book.

\- "Michael" - Reyna instructed - "place two guards inside the king's room, one in front of the other, and double the number of torches so that it is perfectly illuminated. We don’t want shadows in the room" -and turning to the princes - "and also place two guards in the rooms of each of them" -looking at Nico, a crooked smile was drawn on his face - "Michael, in the room of the Prince places two female soldiers, I need they not to get distracted" -the look of astonishment on Nico's face was enough to make the general grinned with pride.

 

\----------------------------------------------- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ------------------------------------------

 

Jason had gone to visit Erin at the hospital. The fire haired girl was talking to the prince and Frank, and the gratitude in her eyes when she looked at the young prince was touching.

-"There is nothing to be grateful for, Erin, if you hadn’t arrived so early, I would have been kidnapped or killed. I'm the one who owes you my life" -still, Erin kissed his hand and gave him her best smile

-"You know that in our regiment, you are our little brother, Will, not just a prince. We will never abandon you to your own luck" -Will huffed.

-"You're only two years older than me" -Erin smiled

-"Indeed ... two years OLDER than you, therefore ... littler brother" -Will looked at her with his mouth open.

-"I'm sorry to interrupt this filial bickering, but I need to talk to the prince" - a somber Jason intervened. Will followed him to the next room.

-"Will, I'm going out to reach the king. I need to update him on this matter. In addition, he may be in danger if Bryce appears with Octavian and has no idea how dangerous he is. I need you to stay with Frank and the boys. Sleep in the barracks with them, not in your room, did you understand me?" -Will nodded, and the general gave him a big hug very hard - "Take care, little bro"

-"Jason" -called the younger blonde - "just ... promise you'll come back, okay?" - the concern written all over his face, touched the general

-"I promise, Will. As Erin said, we will never abandon you" -and taking Frank by the arm, they left the hospital. When they were outside, Jason looked at his lieutenant.

\- "Frank, you know what this means, right?" - the son of the Duke of Mars looked at him with concern.

-"General, tell me you don’t intend to go alone with that Octavian viper. It's suicide, let us accompany you. That regiment is Octavian company, leaded by Bryce. If it’s a betrayal, the risk is enormous"

-"Frank. We don’t know how many more are immersed in this betrayal. It's been almost two days since they left. At this point, the king and the princes may be dead. What makes Will the Crown prince, and it’s you who must keep him safe. I don’t know why Octavian and Bryce are obsessed with Will, but I'm sure they'll go after him. If the king doesn’t return ... if I don’t return ... take the boy to the forest of Lesbos, where my sister and her group of hunters have their refuge. Tell her that I send you and beg her to take care of the prince"  -Frank straightened his posture and nodded.

-"But how will I find your sister?" -he asked hesitantly. Jason let out a laugh

-"Don’t be afraid, if you get to the forest, she will find you" - and turning around, he mounted his horse and galloped off.

 

\-------------------------------------------- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ----- --------------------------------------

 

Will wasn’t a person to worry about something that hadn’t happened. As a doctor, he was used to concentrating on facts, analyzing details, figuring scenarios and deciding on a course of action. So there was no point in worrying in vain, so he stopped and try to think clearly.

He had been attacked and almost abducted by one of the men who gave him the most fear throughout the kingdom, but he had also been saved by his friends, whom he could trust blindly and who were more than capable of defending him.

On the other hand, his attacker was nothing less than the hit man of Octavian, the third largest power in the kingdom. Bryce wouldn’t do anything behind his master's back. His… loyalty? complicity? was unquestionable. Which left Will in an even more dangerous situation. Octavian had ordered kidnapped Will.

Could it be that Octavian thought that by holding him captive he could blackmail the king? Or worse yet, murder him to destroy the king's soul? Or simply wanted to send a message of his power? These conjectures sounded more like an ordinary raider than those of an devil snake as the chief counselor. The only logical conclusion, and the most discouraging, is that Octavian intended to assassinate the king and his brothers and then be able to control Will and force him to abdicate in his favor. That was more logical, but even more terrifying.

What could Will do in this case? Not really much, but stubbornly refusing to follow Octavian's orders and being able to defend his people as much as he could. However, Jason was on the trail of the plot, and Will knew that the loyal general was a man with many resources at his disposal. If there was anyone in the kingdom who could save the king, that was Jason Grace. He would have to trust him and stay together with the rest of the regiment. His father used to say that a single arrow always breaks, but a bundle of arrows withstands any pressure. He would have to remain joined to the group most loyal to the king and to be serene and confident, that was his duty as prince.

And he would also have to focus on the Black Plague. That disease was surprising in many ways. Will's powers healed any wound, and his power plus his knowledge healed almost any illness if the patient came to him at a stage that wasn’t terminal. But this disease was more powerful.

The patients arrived in a practically gray skin, with black lines like spiderwebs covering their entire body, and if they arrived at an advanced stage, the patient died in the midst of severe pain and vomiting with black blood. In addition, it wasn’t transmitted by contagion. The patients could be handled without risk. When Will used his powers, the disease receded for weeks, but never disappeared, and invariably returned. There were patients whom he had treated up to three times. Will had lost many battles, but he wasn’t willing to lose the war against this enemy of his people.

Will used his knowledge. He could say that the disease had some means of natural infection. Air, water, land, food were the most logical sources. He also knew that it must have some chemical component, some substance that triggered the disease, as in poisoning, otherwise it would be contagious. But I had the suspicion that there was also some magical element.

Will knew that the powers that the God Helios had given him were enormous, and if this disease was capable of resisting them, surely it would have an absolutely opposite and equally powerful component. The opposite of the light was the darkness, the shadows, so if there was a magical component in that disease, the most logical thing is that it was related to Erebus.

That didn’t mean that King Hades had attacked the kingdom of Helios, as Octavian said, although there were rumors about the crown prince, his necromancer powers, and everyone said he was even more powerful than his father. But Will didn’t believe in those rumors either. Or… yes? The truth is that if the gods allowed his father to return safely to his palace, with his children, Will would have a long talk with him to tell him about his hypothesis. It was a very big IF.


	4. Chapter IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter. It take all my soul to reign over my depression, and I really happy with your support. I love you all :)

Jason had ridden for a full day without rest, just the necessary pause to change horses at some post. He was more and more worried. If he hadn’t yet found the king it meant that they had continued to march fast and, surely, they would be near the border with Erebus or even within the neighboring kingdom. The Dolomite mountain range, which separated both kingdoms, was perfectly visible from where he was. Jason simply hurried his horse's pace.

After a couple of hours, the general saw in the distance a camp, raised among the rocks of the mountain, but didn’t see the King’s Apollo pennats, so he decided to enter the forest and make a detour to avoid being discovered by the Sentinels, if they were not the king's armies ... or worse.

At nigthfall, Jason put his cloak over his shoulders, throwing the hood over his head. He left his horse tied and, stealthily, advanced towards the camp. When he was closer, he couldn’t help frowning. Definitely, the tents belonged to the army of Helios, and in these neighborhoods, there was only the king's retinue, so ... where were the pennants?

Hidden in the shadows, and knowing by heart the routines and positions of the guards, he approached to the main tent, where the king should be. Inside the tent, Octavian's angry voice could be heard

\- "If only you hadn’t failed to kill the king from the beginning" -Jason paled, had Octavian sent Bryce murder Apollo? But he had failed, right? Which meant that the king was alive  -"we wouldn’t be in this predicament. The stupid and raged Prince Nico would have lashed out unreflectively against Helios and fallen straight into our trap. And Apollo and the idiots princes would have died heroically in the battle. But no ... now I have to improvise, and I can’t even kill my stupid uncle"

-"How was I to know that King Hades would bring a chainmail of Stygian iron under his shirt?" -that, Jason thought, is Bryce's voice  -"Who the hell was capable of doing something like that? Stygian iron can’t be forged into something as fine as dragon scales. Your enchanted arrow could pierced the chainmail, but it was not strong enough to pierce the king's chest ... maybe you don’t have enough regal blood" -the killer finished with a trace of mockery while Octavio growled like an angry pig.

\- "The arrow was perfect, my plan was perfect, but you have failed twice to kill King Hades, and you couldn’t kidnap your sunny little prince. Now I have to employ his brothers and his father to finish the spell. They aren’t powerful enough. The work that Will would do in a week, now it will take us months with those three. And that if they survive the caves" -complained Octavian

-"You said that Jason and the stupid Zhang would be in the palace, but his two guard dogs appeared before I could finish with the redhead and take the delicious prince, as my reward" - Bryce's tone boiled Jason's blood, making him lose concentration and, roaring with anger, entered to the tent, before the stunned look of Octavian and the ironic smile of Bryce

-"Speaking of dogs, I already said I could smell one of them" - he said taking out his sword and throwing himself at Jason.

Bryce was a formidable swordsman, with the speed of a snake. But Jason was a powerful adversary, his technique was perfect and his movements precise and accurate. His defense didn’t leave a single space for the hit man's sword. Eventually, Bryce's speed would diminish and Jason would have his prey.

Unfortunately, the general didn’t think of his biggest mistake, attacking inside the tent instead of taking the fight to the open. With the clash of swords, the guards and the rest of the camp would arrive in a moment. When Jason realized his mistake, he ran to the entrance, pushing the first guards that arrived.

Once out of the tent, pursued by Bryce and many guards, he tried to run into the forest, but the passage was blocked by more soldiers. Changing to the only free route, Jason ran to the mountains dodging arrows and throwing guards. Fortunately, the steep rocks prevented them from following him with horses, but it was a very dangerous route.

Bryce, with a murderous smile on his lips, took his bow and slowly raised his arms, pointed to where Grace would be in a moment. He released the arrow with joy and could see the perfection of his shot.

Jason turned left to avoid the cliff when a sharp pain in his back made him stop. With amazement, he saw the tip of an arrow stick out from the top of his chest, on the right side. Staggering, he lost his step and rushed to the river that roared at the bottom of the cliff. Upon impact with the ice water, everything became dark.

 

\----------------------------------------------- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-- ---------------------------------------------

 

_In his dreams, Will was in a strange castle, surrounded by huge black stones and torches with a green fire, and in front of him, standing before a throne of black wood inlaid with silver, was the more extraordinary man than Will would have seen. Undoubtedly, he was frightening, but beautiful in a similar sense to the mystery that surrounds death._

_Will, as a healer, knew death too well and wasn’t afraid of her. He couldn’t help thinking if this stranger would be death itself. His tall stature, his regal bearing and those deep black eyes that seemed to pierce him as if they were reading his soul and judging whether he was worthy or not._

_An aura of power detached from him and made him glow in a strange purple light. But that wasn’t the strangest thing. Behind the man's back, the shadows gathered and turned to form a pair of large black wings, which made him look like an angel. Will was sure that this was the angel of death._

_Slowly, the man descended from the throne and approached him, looking at him intensely, while his voice, deep and rich tones, sounded clearly -"_ You are mine _" -Will raised his hand and a bright light seemed to envelop him and the angel of death._

Will had never had dreams. Although his father and brothers used to have dreams that could be prophetic, Will had never had one. He always knew that it was a consequence of the gifts he had received.

When Will was born, he was preemie, he had been very small and weak. The king thought he was going to die, and really, he was almost dead. But the queen had offered Helios, the patron god of the kingdom, that if he saved her son Will, she and the boy would dedicate themselves to saving the people of this kingdom. The god had listened to her prayer and had surrounded the small weak baby with an aura of light. Over the years, it was shown that Will, as an effect of the gift of Helios, source of life, had received an extraordinary healing power. Sunlight always brought life to the earth, and Will, blessed by the sun, always brought life to the sick who came to the infirmary.

That same light, seemed to accompany Will at all times. His father used to say that he had a sunny presence wherever he went. Even the nightmares that tormented all the children had never attacked Will. The strong presence of the gift of the god seemed to keep him safe from everything.

But this dream ... for the gods ... itself was extraordinary. His first dream, at least that he could remember. And what a dream. The angel of death was impressive. He could be scary, but ... for some strange reason, Will felt no fear at all. Only an incredible and growing curiosity. Would death come to look for him soon? Was it a prophetic dream in some way? Did death haunt his family?

That led him, again, to the thoughts of the previous day. Jason had left three days ago and they still didn’t receive any news, even though Frank had sent a messenger to catch up with the general. Will trusted Jason a lot, but he was still afraid of his father's fate, probably at the mercy of a traitor. Maybe not even Jason's experience would be enough to save his father and his brothers. Maybe, not even his dear friend could return.

The young prince got up to take a shower and wake up completely. He dressed in his work clothes and left the barracks of the soldiers to go to the infirmary, while Victoria, his guard in turn, rose from his chair with a yawn and hurried to reach his protégé. Will couldn’t help but turn his face and laugh at the sleepy look of the young soldier, who in a gesture of maturity and respect for royalty, stuck out her tongue, to the heavier rejoicing of the healer.

When Will arrived at the infirmary, he was met with a heated argument between his two apprentices and good friends, Cecil and Lou Ellen. At fourteen, the pair had already completed three years of apprenticeship with the prince, and were more than respectable healers, but definitely, they were still children who didn’t know how to behave. Will was convinced that most of the problem was Cecil's mega crush with his green-eyed companion ... and his refusal to admit his feelings. Will sighed and gave a loud whistle to call them to order.

The day started very well. Yes sir.

 

\---------------------------------------------- OOOOOOOOOOOOOO --- ----------------------------------------------

 

When Nico awoke, he found black eyes full of concern. Bianca was sitting on the edge of his bed, stroking his hair.

-"Another nightmare, _fratello_?" - her soft and sweet voice, full of love, never stopped making him smile.

-"Almost the same from the last days, Bi. _Papa_ dying, armies in war, cries of battle and death... "

-"Almost? What changed? The guards went to call me because your nightmares had you very bad, but when I arrived ... you seemed… calm" –Bianca’s look was questioning

-"It was ... the light? I mean, suddenly, a golden and bright light interposed between the armies ... and suddenly, I was surrounded by that light and it filled me with a feeling of warmth and calm"         -Nico smiled at the memory of the feeling. His sister hummed appreciatively

\- "Maybe it means we can avoid war ..."

-"Or maybe it means that I was dying and I went to the Elisium" -the Prince answered with a cheeky smile.


	5. Chapter V

 

Frank was very restless. Two days ago he had sent messengers to catch up with the general, but they hadn’t returned yet. Frank had risen before dawn filled with a horrible feeling. Sheltered by his cloak, he adjusted his belt with his sword and took his bow, a quiver and his spear. Having all his weapons, for long, medium and short distance always gave him peace of mind. He left the barracks and went to the lookout post.

When he climbed the tower that guarded the road to the outskirts of the city, just as the sun began to rise on the horizon, he found the lookout with his hand on his forehead and squinting at the road. The lieutenant frowned.

-"What do you see, Malcolm?" - the blond soldier didn’t look away from the road.

-"I thought I heard the neighing of a horse, Lieutenant. I'm trying to locate the rider"

Hope seemed to return to the officer. Perhaps the messengers are comming back, which would be a good sign. Suddenly, a silhouette was drawn on the horizon and his hope was completely torn off.

-"Malcom, wake up the entire regiment and prepare for battle" -the soldier ran to the bell while Frank was descending quickly to ran to ride his horse.

Galloping at full speed, Frank went to where he had seen the rider. When he was closer, his worst fears were confirmed. That honey-colored horse was easily recognizable. It belonged to Amber, the fastest messenger in the entire regiment. But the rider was reclining, clutching the horse's mane.

When Frank was near to them, he realized that the girl had tied herself to the horse to avoid falling. The animal had an arrow in its side and the blood kept coming out of it. When he got off his own horse to take Amber's reins, he could see that the rider also had two arrows on his back. He quickly untied her and took her in his arms.

Amber could barely open her eyes. In the pallor of his face, exhaustion and pain had left a deep trace. She had several cuts and bruises all over her body, but the fire in her eyes still burned with anger when she tried to speak.

-"Amber, don’t talk ... I'm going to take you with Will"

-"It's already ... late ... for me ... Frank. You have to ... to listen to me" -she said between gasps. Frank just nodded.

-"Treason ... we found one of the Bryce’s patrols ... we heard ... the king and the princes ... dead"  -at these words, Frank's heart fell to his stomach, and he could only ask

-"Jason, are he...?"

\- "Dead ... fell into the abyss of the Black River ... they discovered us ... we fought with the patrol. Roonie stopped them so I could escape and warn you ... but they chased me ... I left them behind a day ago ... I couldn’t get here before ... I'm sorry" -and with a last breath, Amber died in his arms. A sad neigh of Amber's horse brought Frank out of his daze. When he raised his head he saw the horse collapse to die. The noble beast had resisted only by loyalty to its rider.

Frank loaded Amber on his own horse and returned to the camp. Upon arriving he found all his men in armor, horses ready and weapons on hands. Will, who was surrounded by his apprentices Lou Ellen and Cecil, came forward to check on Amber, but a glance from Frank told him that everything was useless. Tears rolled down the prince's cheeks.

Frank instructed that Amber be placed in a funeral pile and the fire be lit, to give her the military honors to the fallen in battle. The time was upon them. When the pile was in fire, the lieutenant turned to his army.

-"Soldiers of Helios!" - Frank's voice roared - "we have been betrayed by Octavius and his men" - a roar of rage spread through the camp. Turning his gaze to Will, the message or the plea was clear, asking for courage and Will felt his world spin at that moment.

-"King Apollo and Princes Lee and Michael have died. Also our beloved general, Jason" -Will's breath quickened even more ' _Dead? That was the meaning of his dream with the angel of death?_ '

-"Will ... Prince Will ... is now the heir to the throne. Our duty is to protect him. Octavian's army is coming back to the city, we have to prepare the defense. Let's meet with ... "

An explosion from the palace interrupted Frank. The signal to warn about an attack to the palace could only be launched when a messenger from the camp outside the walls came to give the instruction. That was the job of Frank's regiment, but he hadn’t sent the signal. Erin, fully recovered, approached Frank.

-"That means ..." -the redhead asked with a frown, while Frank went livid.

-"There is also treason in the forces inside the wall, or even inside the palace. Someone gave us the alarm ... we have to run away"

-"Run away to where? Erebus could be involved in the betrayal, we have nowhere to go!" -Will interjected. Frank stared at him and the prince realized that he was thinking of a risky move.

-"To the forest of Lesbos ... we will look for the hunters, but we must avoid getting closer to the Amazon’s valley" -answered Frank while he gave a signal to prepare the departure. Will came running up to him.

-"Frank, I can’t leave the hospital, there are patients with the black plague. It's my duty to take care of them!" - Frank put a hand on his shoulder.

-"Will, I understand you completely, but at this moment, your duty is to stay alive. No sacrifice is big enough. Your duty is to your people, to all your people, not only to your patients. We must flee and get you safe. I promise we will do justice. I will go with my father for help and ask for the support of King Zeus in Olympus to recover the kingdom"

Will raised his eyebrows – “And why would the King Zeus agree to help us? He has never approached my father directly" -Frank sighed and looked at Will straight in the eyes

-"Because Jason is ... because Jason ... was ... his son"

 

\-------------------------------------- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ----------- ----------------------------------

 

For Connor Stoll, get inside a palace, was so easy and fun. For him and his brother everything was like one of his children's games, when they stole in the streets to get food for them and their numerous siblings. Always betting between them to see who brought the best fruits, or extra points if someone brought meat for the stew, and the absolute winner was who could get a cake.

When they grew up, and thanks to the constant escapades of Prince Nico to roam the city, where several times the twins saved him from getting into serious troubles, their friendship with the prince paid dividends.

Nico was a man who knew how to appreciate the talents of other people, and the cunning and ability of the twins soon made them his favorites to learn about everything that happened in the kingdom. Not to mention that Connor had been the prince's first male lover. They never had a romantic relationship, but there was always deep affection between both of them and very fun sex for a few weeks. The social difference between them was too deep for anyone to afford to go further.

When Annabeth took possession as King Hades's Senior Advisor, she quickly learned of the prince's and the two thieves' adventures, but instead of running with the king to get them away from the prince, Annabeth caught the three on entering the palace and surprised them with a spectacular proposal: to become the Erebus Intelligence System, in other words, to become regal spies.

That work was the dream come true fot both brothers. They received an extraordinary pay and had great fun. Of course, there was always the risk of being caught and probably executed, but that was precisely what made it interesting, as with that business of the Duke of Mars. Hell, that arrogant and stupid guy seemed to be crying out for someone to steal from him, and he would have deserved it, so they took care of it. Unfortunately they were captured, but the prince paid the ransom and they were able to return home only with some broken ribs. Occupational hazards.

When Annabeth sent them to investigate the possible plot against Erebus in Helios's palace, the twins realized that it wasn’t a routine control of the environment. This was a different job. Here there were many lives at stake, so they decided they would do the best espionage of their lives.

To get inside a palace, the best way was to make friends with people that no one deigned to look at twice, that is, the lowest-ranking servants. That's why Travis had conquered one of the women in charge of the garden, Katie, and that he had found Prince Lee's beautiful attendant, Mitchel.

And the best part of get inside a palace was ... being able to get inside your contact. So after a few weeks working as a palace sweeper, he was standing in a dark corner tonight, with a handsome young man pushed against the wall, with his legs around Connor's waist, and pushing his own dick hard into the inside of the page-boy. It was like being in the Elysium. Connor had never felt as close to anyone as he was to Mitchel, and the attendant had taught him everything he needed to know about the royal family ... plus some tricks in the bed that had left him breathless.

Mitchel had spoken wonders about the king, as well as crown prince Lee, who was brave, loyal, honest and blah, blah, blah -actually, Connor was a little jealous of the worship of the prince, no one could be so perfect, ok?- Mitchel also told him about the other brothers, the sweet and beloved Will, the healer of the hospital, the brave archer Princess Kayla, only twelve years old, and the shy Prince Austin, a musical genius of only nine years old. By Mitchel, Connor knew about how unbearable and powerful was the Councilor Octavio. He was especially struck by the fact that the counselor caused so much fear and mistrust to Mitchel, and to everyone who heard him mention. The few times he had crossed paths with him, the counselor only gave him a look of disgust as did to all of the servants. He really was a horrible character.

His armed hand, however, was something much more terrifying. General Bryce looked at everyone, he had an impressive capacity for observation. He was the only one who noticed that Connor and Travis were new to the palace and interrogated them directly. Fortunately, his alibi of Mitchel's orphan friends seemed to be enough. Again, nobody gives much attention to a sweeper and a gardener.

For that reason, when they heard Bryce's voice in the corridor near the corner where he and Mitchel were fooling around, the lovers were paralyzed. Bryce was talking to one of the chiefs of the royal guard

-"Then ... the time has come" -asked the soldier

-"Is the time. We no longer have to worry about the king and his children. They will never return from their trip" -and the laughter that escaped from the general's lips was enough to freeze Connor's blood, and he could see that Mitchel was biting his hands to keep from crying. Connor just hugged him and pushed him into the shade protectively.

-"But that makes Prince Will the Crown Prince ... and the boy is sleeping in the barracks of the outer camp, protected by Jason's men, under Zhang's command. It will be impossible to get him. None of my men would be able to face him" -the head of the guards seemed scared. _‘Who would this Zhang dude be that filled with terror an experienced officer?’_

-"We let their messenger get to the outer camp. We didn’t kill that bitch to make sure she gave the alarm. Frank Zhang isn’t stupid, so he will come to take refuge in the palace to have a strong defense and protect the little sun from the great evil wolf that is me. This is how you will capture him. When he came to the palace, I will kill Zhang and your men will take care of the rest of the regiment. When Octavio saves the situation, Zhang and his men will be the culprits of the mutiny, by orders of Jason, the spy of Olympus. And the people will know that they cruelly murdered the royal family, but that Octavio could stop him and do justice. The people will acclaim him as their new king, especially when Will abdicates in his favor and reveals his great love for me. The ‘pride of the kingdom of Helios, the favorite son of the king’, espousing one of the heroes of the kingdom. Everyone will love us when..."

The voices drifted away until silence reigned in that wing of the palace. Mitchel lowered his hand and cried disconsolately

-"It can’t be, that snake can’t have killed the king and the princes. And giving young Will as a prize to his killer dog is the worst of all. Will die when he knows his fate. I don’t even want to think about what that sadist could do to him. He's been obsessed with Will since the boy was nine years old!" -Connor hugged him to calm his tremors.

-"I need to leave the palace. I must warn Zhang not to come here" -and tying his pants, Mitchel started forward, but Connor stopped him by the arm.

-"Wait. There will be many guards on alert. It’s very dangerous to try to leave" -Connor kept him sweetly but firmly. The look of defeat of the attendant broke the spy's heart.

-"I have to warn them somehow. Will is now our king, I can’t allow him to fall into the clutches of these demons" - while Mitchel struggled to get out of Connor's arms, the spy had an idea.

-"You told me that the small cannon of the west wing was the signal for an invasion, isn’t it?" -Mitchel looked at the spy for a moment until his eyes widened with the realization

-"It’s correct, and if the cannon is fired without the watchmen of the outer camp raising the alarm... Zhang will know that there is something strange and will not come to the palace! Connor, you are a genius" - Mitchel's kiss was the most sweet reward for the Stoll

Holding hands, the two men scurried in the shadows. Fortunately, with all the preparation to surprise the prince's escort, there was no guard in front of the cannon. Connor took out a couple of stones to make a spark, lit the small cannon and fired it at the sun coming out on the horizon. Now it was time to escape. He took Mitchel's hand and they started toward the servants' bedrooms.

 

\--------------------------------- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -------------------------------------------------

 

Nico was dreaming again. _In the throne room of Erebus's palace, the prince was standing in front of the throne, with his black Stygian iron crown adorned with white diamonds, facing the entrance to the hall. In the background, the same golden light of his previous dream shone brightly. The prince approached the light, attracted like a moth without being able to avoid it. When he was close, he could see the delicate silhouette of a man. He couldn’t see his face cleairly because of the intensity of the light, but he could feel that he was very young and probably gorgeus. Behind him, beautiful white wings seemed to be the source of light. He looked like one of those angels who appeared painted in the books of stories about the ancient gods. Nico's heart was beating desperately, but he felt full of peace and tranquility, like never before in his life. The angel raised his hand to offer it to Nico and the prince could see his bright smile, which filled him with love immediately. Nico moved forward to take the offered hand, but suddenly the shadows formed behind the wings of the angel and a shadowy hand took the angel by the shoulders and carried him into the swirling darkness_.

Nico woke up bathed in sweat and his broken heart beating frantically.


	6. Chapter VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you like it. I have struggled with myself to continue writing but your comments and kudos lift my spirits. I love you all.

The cold soak through to his bones. The violent stream beat him against the rocks while his lungs ached from the lack of oxygen. Jason was desperately trying to cling to one of the stones against which his body continually collided, but the arrow in his chest didn’t allow him to exert any force. The loss of blood had him in a state of semi-consciousness. Suddenly, the roar of the river became almost deafening. When he could lift his head he saw with horror that he was approaching a waterfall. The young general tried to resist the current, but all was in vain. The last thought he had before rushing down the river gorge was " _Forgive me, Will_ ..."

Jason was continually passing between consciousness and darkness. His whole body was a single scream of pain. The cold of the water seemed to envelop him for a moment, in others, it seemed to crawl over sharp rocks that stuck into his hands and legs, then seemed to be surrounded by thin and gentle arms, then again darkness. Now, his body must be changing to the realm of the lucky ones in the Elysium, because his body felt about something soft and warm. His ears only listened to the silence with the trills of the forest birds as background.

Slowly, he began to open his eyes, and even that small movement took a moan of pain. Immediately, gentle hands approached to push him back into a lying position. His narrowed eyes could barely make out a wave of red hair descending on him as green eyes full of worry watched him intently. The pain exhausted him and he lost consciousness again, as if he had been hit by a brick.

Grace couldn’t say how long he was in that condition, but it seemed like an eternity to him. When he finally could open his eyes without pain, he found himself in a dark room, barely illuminated by the moonlight. The air was cold, but his body was covered in blankets and he rested on a small, warm bed. Gathering his strength, he managed to straighten his body. The pain returned to bite his shoulder, but he gritted his teeth and held the position.

Little by little, his eyes adjusted to the darkness and his brain began to function correctly. The arrow, the fall, the river ... everything returned to his mind, and a single desperate thought ... ‘ _Will_ ’. Terrified, he lifted the blankets to stand up just so the cold air would bite his body. With shame, he realized that he was completely naked. Who would have stripped him of his clothes? And had the arrow wound healed? Would they have taken him out of the river? Would he be in a town, where Octavio could find him? If so, he has to flee soon. The gentle people who had rescued him would be in danger while he was with them.

Summoning his strength, he sat on the edge of the bed. The vertigo was about to make him fall, but the sense of duty kept him together. At that moment, in the dim light of the moon, he saw at the foot of the bed a small and thin bundle. Looking more closely, he saw a figure squeezing the blankets as if trying to resist the cold, and sticking out of the blankets, a red hair mat and a button nose surrounded by freckles. Surely a girl, and quite young apparently. Realizing he was naked, his cheeks covered with a blush.

Slowly, seeking not to awaken the girl, he got up looking for something to cover himself with. In a chair, he found his clothes, clean, patched and neatly folded. A smile of gratitude was drawn on his lips. Jason dressed in a hurry when a small gasp made him turn his face. The young woman who was lying on the floor was sitting, covering her face with her hands, although Jason smiled when he realized that she was still looking between the spaces of her fingers.

-"You can look, I've already dressed. No problem" -he said gently to the girl. The girl got up from the makeshift bed and went to light a pair of large chandeliers. The light illuminated the room and Jason could see that he was in a cabin, small but neat and clean, despite the enormous amount of jars and herbs that filled the walls.

In the center, he was able to observe his host. The girl wasn’t more than twenty years old, maybe less, small and graceful as a dancer, with white skin and bare feet. Her long, curly red mane floated proudly behind her, while beautiful, gentle green eyes were the center of a gorgeus, youthful face with a small red mouth, protruding cheekbones, a clear forehead, and cheeks covered in small, fine freckles. Really beautiful.

-"I thought you would never wake up" - said the girl with a weak smile

-"Hummm ... ehhh. How long have I been unconscious?" -Jason asked

-"Today is the dawn of the fourth day. I don’t know how long you've been at the river's edge, but from the amount of blood you lost it must have been more than a day, so I guess we can say you were out for six days" -Jason's face froze in shock. Six days¡¡¡ the things that will have happened in that time, and he without being able to do anything ... it’s not that he had intentionally escaped his duties, but still.

-"My sword ... was with me?" - his question was apprehensive. The girl hufffed.

-"Boys ... no ... your sword wasn’t with you ... but I guess that's not the most important thing since, at least, you're alive" -sayed the girl amused as she crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. Jason couldn’t help but smile at how similar he was to Will: sweet, noble, beautiful, and irritatingly stubborn.

-"Jason" -said the general, while the girl narrowed her eyes confused.

-"My name is Jason Grace, general of the armies of the kingdom of Helios" -the girl smiled amused as if that presentation wasn’t something she expected to hear.

-"Well, then you aren’t simply an outlaw escaping the royal guards. I already said that this wasn’t a black arrow from the armies of King Hades. But with so many things happening, it wasn’t my role to assume who you were but simply to help you" -the young woman smiled as if that was the most normal and logical thing in the world.

-"I am infinitely grateful for what you have done for me, but I don’t think it’s wise to bring strangers to your home. It could be dangerous" -Jason had people like Bryce in mind, but the girl's amused gaze reflected great confidence.

-"First of all, you have no strength to walk. If you tried something, it would be easy to put you on the ground again. Second, I was warned in my dreams to look for you, so the fates wouldn’t put me at risk. Third, if someone tried something stupid, Zacharias wouldn’t let him, and you don’t want to know how protective a familiar can be" -the young woman raised her arm to her face and a huge black raven that Jason hadn’t seen flew to her forearm, perching delicately while fumbling the girl's hair.

Jason began to smile until the bird turned his face towards him and the general saw a reddish glow in the eyes of the bird that looked at him harshly as if assessing whether he could trust the man or not. Something inside the general stirred uneasily, as if he were certain that the crow was much more than a bird, and that it would be a formidable enemy if someone tried to harm the girl.

-"A familiar? Like uncle or cousin, or something like that?" -the girl's loud laugh echoed through the cabin, making it warmer and brighter.

-"Don’t. A familiar ... like ... protective spirit of a witch ... I mean ... me "-the green eyes danced funny and mischievous in her beautiful face.  -"I’m Rachel, witch born and raised in the tribe of sorcerers of το μαύρο βουνό, the black mountain, north of the kingdom of Hades, in the Carpathian mountain range" -the girl answered with a sweet nod.

-"Well, Rachel, I had never met a witch. I thought them would be scary old women and not a kind and sweet young lady like you "-Jason now had a shy smile. Rachel moved to her bed and sat down, her back leaning against the headboard and the crow on her shoulder.

-"I can be terrifying if I want to, but the attack powers aren’t my strength. My power is something... different" -Jason now frowned with a question mark, and felt stupid standing in the middle of the cabin, so he went to sit at the foot of the bed, inviting Rachel to continue explaining.

-"You see, I was granted the gift of seeing fragments of the past, the present and the future ... not everything complete but those parts that the fates consider necessary for the world to follow its course in order and avoid major catastrophes...  They were the ones who took me to you, so I guess you have some task to do" -Jason's stomach felt a stone fall on him.

-"I guess I have a task ... or had ... but I have failed" - his shoulders sank visibly. Rachel looked at him fondessly and approached him, gently lifting the man's chin.

-"Jason Grace, general of the armies of Helios ... if you had failed, the fates wouldn’t have turned their attention to you. I guess your task is still to be done. I don’t know what role you have to play, but it's definitely still out there waiting for you, and if you're brave and noble as I can guess, I'm sure you'll succeed ... in due time" -the strength in the witch's eyes made Jason felt full of confidence. How could you trust so blindly in someone you just met, even though them has healed your wounds and saved your life? But Jason trusted this woman. It was the same feeling as when he was with his sister. A brave and independent heart, fierce but gentle.

-"All right, Rachel, witch of the black mountain, I'll trust your words. Now, if you could tell me where I am and how to get back to Helios, I'll give you whatever you want"-the young woman shone with mischief in her eyes

-"So whatever I want, huh? Those are very risky words, Jason Grace"-the general, very regretfully blushed

-"Humm ... I didn’t mean that ... it's not that I don’t think you aren’t beautiful, because you are, but..." -the witch's laughter filled the air again

-"Don’t worry, general, I didn’t mean that either. It's not that I dislike sharing my bed with you, because physically you're just what interests me, but we wouldn’t be a good match. My spirit is rebellious, and your spirit is a warrior, we would continually clash. I need someone with a sweet and gentle heart, who can put out my fire instead of turning it on more" - and Jason smiled knowing that, if he got his mission, he would know who to present to this wonderful young witch.

-"Well, if I fulfill the designs of the fates, maybe I can return this favor" -the accomplice smile of both youngsters  sealed the deal between them.

 

\------------------------------------------------- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ---------------------------------------

 

Will Solace, heir to the throne of Helios, despite what everyone might think from his lack of military training, was a very good rider. He loved horses and horses loved him. So he should have no problem following the rest of the army in his quick flight from the capital. However, he brought in with him, in his horse, a young Lou Ellen, grabbing him with all her strength, who complains all the time that she was about to fall. In addition, he held the reins of Cecil's horse, who didn’t know how to ride and was terrified by " _those big and cocky beasts that can kick you and gave you a spinal damage_ ". So, after six hours of fast racing, Will was truly exhausted.

Frank and Malcolm were in charge of the regiment, so they couldn’t be of much help. Victoria and Erin went to the side of the future king and continually tried to change places. Victoria offered to carry Lou, but the girl clung tightly to Will's waist as if he were the only one she could trust to not fall over and break her neck. Erin had tried to convince Cecil to take him on his horse, but the young man defended that he was able to remain mounted on the monster. Will knew very well that his friend would die of shame if he had to hug a girl in front of Lou, so he clung fiercely to the saddle of his horse. Stupid cute dorks.

In the distance, towards the valley, passing the ravine of Ulm-Athor, they could see the forest of Lesbos, an impenetrable green tide, which everyone feared to face. Will stopped his horse when a presentiment squeezed his heart. Turning his head, several miles away, there was a black spot in motion lifting the dust from the road: Octavio's army was catching up with them.

Erin, seeing the same as the prince, spurred her horse to warn Frank. From the rear, Will could hear Frank's cry encouraging the regiment to advance faster. Will, at least, was calm. They had enough advantage to reach the forest before Octavio reached them. Perhaps, even, they could meet with some of the patrols of the kingdom that watched the borders. Those forces could be their salvation.

The entire regiment redoubled its efforts, including Will and Cecil. They didn’t know what to expect in the forest, but it was definitely better than facing Octavio and his army of traitors. Frank, knowing how close Octavian's army was, gave orders not to go around the abyss to go down the Bércide Pass, several miles to the south, but to risk crossing over the old Bridge of the Dead Man.

Two hours later, the hundred men were facing the old suspension bridge with a look of doubt in their eyes. Certainly, the forest of Lesbos dissuaded all travelers from approaching its surroundings, and no village was a hundred miles from the forest, but the state of the bridge truly left much to be desired. Frank had a concentrated look, assessing his options, but a glance at the approaching cloud of dust and the sound of the officers' shouts dissuaded him from giving the order.

As a good leader, Frank gave the show. He climbed down from his horse and, taking him by the reins, advanced resolutely. When he reached the other side, he gave the signal for everyone to advance. One by one, the soldiers got off their horses and crossed the bridge. Will and his apprentices crossed in the middle of the troop. When the last of the soldiers crossed, everyone sighed in relief.

However, before riding on his horses, an arrow whistled in the air and one of the men next to Malcolm fell dead on the spot. Leaving by one of the ways that bordered the forest, a group of forty soldiers, with Bryce to the front, left to his encounter. Half of the men came armed with long bows and, instead of throwing themselves at Zhang's men, they began firing from a distance. The objective was clear, to prevent them from reaching the forest until Octavio's men could reach them.

Frank roared with rage and, taking the shield from the side of his horse, gave the indication to form a barrier of shields. His men made the barrier, while the archers responded, led by Frank himself. Will knew that the number was enough to liquidate the attackers in a short time, but that time could mean that Octavio would overtake them and then they would be lost.

Desperate, he looked back and saw that each of the approaching riders, headed by Octavius himself, was already visible. Frank also noticed, so he mounted his horse and gave the order for the men to advance. It was a suicide move, because everyone would become an easy target for the archers, but the survivors could reach the forest

-"Protect the king" -Frank roared as he launched himself directly at Bryce's men to give the others more chance. But Bryce's men, surprisingly, mounted their horses and, while continuing to shoot arrows, interposed between Frank and the forest, half of them wielding long spears to defend the strait.

The crash was frightening, but Bryce's men resisted the impact as several of Zhang's riders were pierced by the spears. The battle began with unusual violence. Will could see how the men were falling around him and he was busy trying to heal the more serious wounded while he felt his energy begin to diminish. At that moment, a different noise from the battle drew his attention, when he turned his head, his blood froze in his veins. Octavio would arrive in a few minutes and then they would be surrounded.

Desperate, he looked towards the bridge and a plan formed in his brain. Taking the sword of a dead soldier, he went to the bridge to cut the ropes that held it. Cecil and Lou ran with him. However, two of Bryce's men seemed to notice the prince's intentions, so they left the formation and surrounded the battle as they launched arrows towards the bridge. One of them caught Cecil in the leg and distracted Will. The prince realized that, if he stopped at the beginning of the bridge, the soldiers would arrive in time to prevent it, so he decided something more risky.

Running, he threw himself to the bridge. The soldiers wouldn’t dare to shoot him. It didn’t suit them to kill him, so he would have time to cut the wires on the other side. Even if that meant...

Frank looked desperately searching for Will on the battlefield, but what he saw froze his blood. Will ran across the bridge while Cecil and Lou threw stones at two soldiers trying to reach the bridge. Desperate, he ran to the place. When he arrived, he threw himself on the soldiers to prevent them from killing the two boys. While Frank was fighting the soldiers, Lou and Cecil ran across the bridge to get Will.

The prince reached the other side of the bridge, just seconds before Octavio, with Cecil and Lou behind him. He handed the sword to Lou who understood the plan immediately, and began to cut the strings while Will did the same on the other side with his knife. Behind him, he heard Octavio's shout - "Stop them, they couldn’t cut the ropes"

The moment he cut the last rope fiber, he felt strong hands that threw him to the ground. Satisfied, he watched the bridge crumble to the bottom of the abyss: his friends were safe.

 

\--------------------------------------------- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ---- --------------------------------------------

 

Frank watched as the bridge collapsed, but he didn’t have time to see more. The traitor soldiers were on him. The fury he felt turned against the aggressors. Spinning with speed, he cut cleanly the head of one of the enemies, and taking the other by the neck, he lifted him over his shoulders to throw him into the void. Astonished, he stared at the other side of the ravine, where Octavio was heading towards a Will who was fighting with a guard. The lieutenant's cry of rage crossed the abyss and raised the face of the counselor. But he didn’t have time to do anything, an arrow fell on his right arm. The lieutenant felt no pain, so strong was the rage that roared within him. With his left hand he broke the shaft of the arrow. He had lost the king, and someone would have to pay for that.

His vision turned red and his eyes fixed on Bryce like the eyes of a hawk on its prey. Riding on his horse he roared like a beast with such force, that everyone on the battlefield stopped.

The eyes of Bryce's men widened as they saw the imposing mass of the lieutenant charging at them with a look mad with rage. All raised their spears in the hope of saving their miserable lives, but the lieutenant threw his horse against the spears breaking his formation, his men behind him infected with the same fury.

While his men were busy destroying their enemies, Frank was attacking directly against Bryce. The killer was a great warrior, but Frank's currently mood was unstoppable, despite the blood draining from his arm and several small wounds. Bryce took his sword in his right hand and his dagger in the left, to have more opportunity, but not even his speed was enough to stop Zhang having only an thought in his head, to tear that miserable man that kidnapped the King.

Frank attacked incessantly, without giving Bryce the opportunity to counterattack, causing him to back off and stagger. Fear, for the first time, was reflected in the killer's face. Bryce, desperate, raised his left hand with the dagger to defend his head, but Frank's sword neatly cut his hand from his wrist. With a cry of pain, Bryce threw his sword at Frank. The lieutenant deflected it easily, but those seconds were enough for the evil snake to turn and run into the forest, disappearing into the shadows.

Frank swing his sword among the bushes and branches expecting to find traces of the traitor, but it was in vain. Erin reached him and, gently, called him by his name

-"Frank, Sir, he has fled. There are no survivors among his men, and we have to tend to our wounded, please" -the soldier's worried tone finally brought Frank back from his homicidal state. Turning his face, he saw that at least a third of his men had died and at least another third had severe injuries. He sighed and turned to his men

-"Soldiers of Helios, you have fought with courage and their kingdom thanks you. We pick up our fallen brothers to give them the honors they deserve. Then we will take care of our wounded and enter the forest to follow the orders of our general. In a few days... we will return to rescue our King. Death to the traitors!!!" - the rest of his men, even the wounded, roared with rage.

At nightfall on the same day, the survivors entered the forest of Lesbos with a dark mood.

 

\----------------------------------- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -----------------------------------------------

 

Will shuffled under the guard's hands, while Lou Ellen fell on the attacker's back and bit his ear, causing him to let go of Will. The prince got up with his knife in his hand and, surprisingly, threw it against the Counselor. Octavio could barely tilt his head, but the sharp blade cut off a piece of his left ear before ending up stuck in the eye of the guard who came behind, killing him, to Will's shock.

Octavio fell to the floor screaming and grabbing his ear

-"Stupid brat, you will pay dearly for your audacity. I had thought to be compassionate with you but now you will suffer the consequences. Cover those three with chains, put a cloak over their clothes and a hood over their heads. I want them in the palace without anyone noticing his arrival. Move on, you morons"

The three boys were loaded on the horses and the traitor army made its way to the palace.


	7. Chapter VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorryyyyyyyyyy ... many things have happened in my life and I'm just overcoming depression. I love and appreciate all your messages and kudos. They have kept me up in my darkest nights. This was a particularly difficult chapter, especially for the scene between Will and Bryce. I don´t like this happens but is necessary for the plot. I really hope you like it... and don't hate me.
> 
> Adviced: contains rape, if it's really hard for you, please skip to the "knock, knock"

Will couldn’t know exactly how much time had passed since they were captured. No one had taken off the hoods of their heads, only lifted the edge to feed quickly with some bread and water. Judging by the times they had been fed, Will could think that they had been in that damp, cold dungeon for five days.

All the time they had remained chained. Even in the brief moment when he was allowed to put his hands on Cecil's injured leg to remove the arrow and heal him enough to avoid an infection, but not so much to close the wound completely and disappear the scar. At least they had been chained in the same cell, which allowed him to take some care about his friends.

\- "Will?" -Lou's trembling voice conveyed barely contained concern

\- "Here I am, Lou. Everything will be fine"- the prince replied.

-"Of course ... what could go wrong?"- Cecil replied, with a good imitation of his sassy and cheerful tone, although Lou Ellen and Will could clearly hear the tremor in his voice. However, the brave gesture of his friend, caused a smile in the young prince.

-"Cecil is right ... I don’t think we can be worse, so everything has to start improving, Lou"- completed Will

\- "What I want to ask is ... how do you feel?" - Lou replied - "That’s, you haven’t made any comment about what happened since they captured us"- Will knew what Lou Ellen was referring to but he preferred to ignore it.

-"It's because I'm sure Frank will come looking for us, Lou. It's not possible that Bryce overcame them, and neither he nor the rest of the guys are going to let our bones rot in this prison".

-"I didn’t mean that and you know it, Will. I'm sure they will come for us, or at least for you, but what I mean to is that ... well ... you were very brave on the bridge when attacking Octavian ... but ... the result wasn’t what you expected and ... a soldier died"- Lou finished in a whisper.

\- "And well deserved he had it, Lou Lou" -said Cecil- "In case you hadn’t noticed, those guys wanted to make us puree. It would have been better if the weasel didn’t dodge the blow, although I hope he loses his entire ear. It would be funny. He would look like a cup for chocolate. And as for the guard ... well ... that was an accident and Will has no reason to feel bad. It's not his fault that he was stuck on his boss's back "

\- "Cecil ... you're not helping anything, I think it's necessary for Will to express himself ..."

\- "It's okay, Lou. I've given it a lot of thinking. The rational part of my brain came to the same conclusion as Cecil, but ... well ... the part that makes me a healer can’t help but feel regretful. I should have done things differently, not let anger or fear take hold of me. If it hadn’t been for my lack of strength that man would still be alive" - Will's voice didn’t tremble, so he could at least feel proud of his self-control, although the sadness for his action was more than evident.

-"And maybe he would be out of our dungeon, making fun of us" -Cecil replied without joy- "What I mean, Will, is that you shouldn’t blame yourself for anything. That man, like all those in that regiment, are traitors. What happens to them is just their responsibility".

Will just sighed, and chose not to comment further. Lou Ellen, feeling the internal fight in Will, decided to change the subject.

-"Will, what do you think will happen now? I don’t mean Zhang coming to rescue us, but what Octavian plans to do".

Will shuddered at the thought -"I’m sure he will try to make me resign from the throne in his favor. Although it's obvious he will not get it, but I'm scared for Kayla and Austin. Most likely, he threatens to kill them if I refuse. I don’t know what I will do at that moment. I can’t imagine being the cause of his suffering".

Lou and Cecil sighed knowing that Octavio was a man capable of much more. His twisted mind could imagine much worse things.

 

\-------------------------------------------------- -OOOOOOOOOOOOO ------------------------------------------------

 

Mitchel and Connor could barely get across the narrow secret passage through which the beautiful boy was leading them. Connor, reluctantly, followed Mitchel without knowing at what moment he agreed to follow him to spy on Octavio. Of all the dangerous things he had done, this was the stupidest, without a doubt.

When they made a last turn in the passage, Mitchel turned off his light and, whispering, said to Connor -"We are now in the king's room, where the stupid counselor has decided to sleep. I heard he ordered Bryce brought before him. We must keep silence and wait"- Both young men sat in the dust and waited.

Connor was about to fall asleep when the sound of a door had him suddenly alert. On the other side of the wall, the call of the guard could be heard with absolute clarity announcing to ‘ _Your Highness’_ that General Bryce had arrived, as well as the shrill and horrible voice of Octavian ordering to enter.

-"I see that your hand has stopped bleeding. I think now the sword will be your only weapon. No more bow for ambushes, hum?"- A grunt of disgust came from the assassin's mouth.

-"Don’t be so sure ‘ _Majestyyyy’_ , my master has guaranteed me something much better than a mortal hand, and he, contrary to others, always keeps his promises" - the sarcasm and barely contained anger made Connor stand on the hair of his nape.

-"Oh come on, Bryce, you have to get over it. You were the one who failed his mission from the beginning. Now this is our only chance to start this war without it being evident that we are looking for it"- retorted a bored Octavio

-"But he is MINE. You promised that Will would be mine when you get the power. And now you want to deliver him as a slave so that the prince of Erebus will enjoy him. If I were married to the prince, I could claim the throne of Erebus in my master's name"- cried the general, and Connor saw Mitchel's eyes open wider.

-"Take it easy, my loyal friend, I know that jealousy dominates you, but you must think clearly. What will happen when Prince Nico learns that his slave is the son of the man who ordered his father be killed? He will execute him without doubt, if not he will destroy him with his own hands. When the news that the heir to the throne of Erebus made the prince a slave and then murdered him for fun, all the people of Helios will go to war. With the help of your master, we will conquer Erebus and you will receive the throne as a prize. I can even give you Kayla or Austin to play with them all that you want and the royal blood of Helios will rule in Erebus".

Bryce grunted assent -"Okay, but I demand something before your plan: tonight, Will will be mine. I have to be his first time. And I will leave him such a night that him can never be with Prince Nico without feeling me".

The look of horror on Mitchel's face made Connor cover his mouth before the boy could scream his rage and betray his presence. Octavio's laughter froze the spy's blood.

-"Well thought. Just make sure that the scars aren’t on his skin but internal, in his insides and in his spirit. Break his stupid pride. We want to give a nice gift to Prince Nico, so he wants to keep him close to him ... until, conveniently, he knows his lineage. You have until the dawn comes. From that moment, Will and his proteges will be sent to Erebus. "

 

\-------------------------------------- OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ----------- ----------------------------------------

 

That night, Will was awake thinking how long it would be before Frank came to rescue him, and how he could keep his friends alive, especially Cecil, who had lost a lot of blood and, with the little food he had received, was very weak. The sound of the door and guards coming in took him out of his thoughts.

One of the guards removed the shackles and chains that attached him to the wall while the other dragged him by the collar of his shirt outside the dungeon. Will was filled with fear. What would happen now? Why did they separate him from his friends? Would Octavio execute him without anyone knowing?

With the hood still on his head he was led up the stairs to the palace area. The change of rancid air from the dungeon to the fresh air with a certain smell of horses told him that they would lead him through the back entrance of the arms room, towards the quarters of the castle officers.

Will heard the grinding of a door before being thrown hard to the floor, amid laughter and mockery from the guards -" _Good evening, prince, or shall I say, princess?_ " - one of the guards mocked -" _When tonight finish, she will not have anything of princess, she will be a simple bitch for her new master in Erebus_ "- the other replied with contempt.

Will felt all the blood leave his body as he heard the guards walk away and close the door. With his hands still tied, but, at least, in front of him, he managed to pull off his hood. While his eyes, accustomed to the gloom of the dungeon and the hood over his eyes, tried to adjust to the light of the chandeliers, fear couldn’t allow him to even think about escaping.

When he noticed the place he was in, the fear turned into panic -"My gods ... it's Bryce's room!"-  rising as best as he could, he ran to the door only to find it secured with a key. He ran to the balcony looking for a way to escape, but the distance to the floor was so great that death was assured.                -' _Death ... maybe that would be better than what awaits me_ ' and feeling his heart beating at full speed, he climbed to the edge of the railing.

As he gathered strength to do what he was planning, a cruel laugh sounded calm behind him -"Go ahead, my prince, take the step you want. I only see myself in the painful duty to make you notice that, if it is not you tonight, tomorrow it will be Princess Kayla, and I don’t think you would prefer it to be her when you could avoid this step to a sweet and beautiful little girl".

Will's blood froze in his veins at the General's words. Damn, Will knew they weren’t empty threats. If Will took a step into the void, the next person in line to the throne would be Kayla. And none of his brothers would be safe from Bryce or Octavio. Gnashing his teeth in rage he turned his face to confront Bryce as boldly as possible, while thinking ' _I will not scream, I will never give that privilege to this disgusting rat_ '.

When he looked at his captor, he immediately noticed the missing left hand and a smile of satisfaction appeared on his face -' _Frank_ '-, but the gesture didn’t go unnoticed for the general, who, making a horrible grimace pulled him of the shirt to lower him from the railing and throw the blond to the floor. The blow to his knees clouded his brain. He immediately felt how he was taken by the hair and dragged to the bed where he was thrown unceremoniously.

\- "That's right ... your watchdog cut my hand. But do you know what he got in return? that my sword pierced his guts"- Will's eyes widened with horror and disbelief, as he listened to the awufl laughter of the maniac -" and while he twisted helplessly, I took the broken stick of a spear and started hitting him on the head, until I could kill him like the beaten dog he was". - Will's tears began to flow with nothing to restrain them.

He couldn’t even think that now he was alone, without hope of being rescued. He could only think of the horrible death of his dear friend, how unworthy it was for a noble and brave man like Frank. Grief began to give way to rage, strengthening Will's spine. Bryce, always attentive, seemed to notice the change, and punched a fist into Will's kidneys, which twisted in pain. A new punch, now in the stomach, left him without air.

\- "And now you will be given as a slave to the prince of Erebus, who will use you as his toy in bed. I doubt that you survive six months. And most importantly, your stupid father yielded to Octavian's advice and ordered King Hades to be murdered. I pulled the bowstring myself. Do you know what will happen when Prince Nico finds out that his sweet slave, whom he takes to bed every night, is the son of his father's murderer?".

Will's disbelieving face must have given Bryce a clear answer, because the sinister smile on his mouth widened terrifyingly. Bryce came over and, pulling the edges of Will's shirt, snapped it open, leaving the prince's chest exposed. Will felt disgusted when Bryce's tongue began to run down his chest, licking and biting his nipples hard, while his hands went to his ass. Will had always been attracted to his own sex, but there was no way in the world that he considered this sexy, so he bit Bryce's neck hard, who let out a scream. Staring at Will, Bryce pierced his face with a slap.

-"Octavian said not to leave a mark on you, but it's almost three days until Erebus. By the time you arrive with your new owner, the brand will be gone. But before you leave, I'll make sure you've well trained for your new duties"- and taking Will by the stomach, he turned him without problems to leave him face down on the bed.

With anxious hands, he untied the cord of Will’s trousers and with a single jerk left him naked. Will felt humiliated, furious, terrified, as he kicked incessantly trying to contact the body of his attacker. But Bryce put his knees on the curve of Will's knees immobilizing him. With one hand, he violently opened the cheeks of the young man's ass and Will let out a loud scream when Bryce's first finger pierced his pink hole.

With tears in his eyes, Will pleaded to his patron Helios to free him. Bryce was preparing to insert a second finger when ...

 _'Knock knock, knock_ '. The unmistakable sound of someone knocking on the door crossed the room.

-"Get out!!!" - Bryce shouted with fury, but the sound kept repeating itself without ceasing and with increasing urgency. Bryce took the remains of Will's shirt and gagged him with them. He got up and ran to the door while shouting - "I gave the express order to not be disturbed until tomorrow. Who dares to interrupt me?"- and opened the door on a blow to be faced with a terrified young boy who he remembered as the page of Lee - _Minch, Mitch, or something?_ \- that only watched the floor while  was escorted by one of his own guards.

-"My Lord, it wasn’t my fault, His Majesty Octavian urgently requires you in his rooms"

-"You lie. He knows that tonight nothing should interrupt me"- he roared while taking the boy's neck.

\- "My Lord ...  I’m n-n-not lie. He said that there was an urgent change of plans in Erebus, and he ordered that we look for you ... he said that you would be in you chambers and I came as fast as I could"- the young man was terrified and didn’t dare to look Bryce in the eyes.

The general, throwing the poor boy to the ground, looked at his guard and shouted at him -"Nobody enter my room. I'll be back as fast as I can"- and spinning like a mad men, he threw himself to the stairs.

When he left, Mitchel got up from the floor and addressed the guard frowned - "It seems he doesn’t  like to be deprived off his beauty sleep"- The guard looked at him as if he were a bug, but responded with a lascivious laugh

\- "If they interrupted me when I'm going to fuck a beauty, I'd also get in a bad mood"

Mitchel feigned innocence and a false astonishment appeared in her eyes - "Ohhhh, so that's why? Can I see the lucky girl? Or will he be a lucky boy? The general has always given me that vibe ..." and, passing the guard, advanced towards the knob of the door.

The guard, giving a quick half turn, held him by the shirt -"Do not even try, unless you want to run the same fate of the prince but with me, you will see that mmppgggghhh ..."

A strong hand closed the guard's mouth as the sharp tip of a hunting knife appeared in the front of his stomach. The guard collapsed lifeless while a furious Connor Stoll towering over the corpse.

-"You should never have tried" - the voice of the erebian was low and threatening, but his eyes became soft when they looked at a terrified Mitchel - "What? You thought I'd let you do it by yourself, don´t you? "- and Mitchel's smile lit up Connor's night.

Quickly, Mitchel entered the room and ran to the bed, followed by Connor. The horror in Mitchel's eyes was a shock to Connor who followed his boyfriend's gaze. On the bed, lay a blond young man, totally naked, with evident marks of blows in several parts of his body, the hands tied and a gag in the mouth. Traces of tears fell from the bluest eyes Connor had ever seen, but a shadow of pride and fury danced in parts of his face: frowning eyebrows, jaw locked, forehead raised ... and an innate respect for that young man grew in the spy's chest.

Mitchel ran to embrace the young man with respect and a tenderness that Connor had never seen on him.

-"Will ... Majesty ... we have come to free you. We knew about Octavio's plans and we came as quickly as possible ... I regret not having arrived before"- while, with his own shirt, he cleaned the blond's face.

Connor, always practical, took black pants, a black shirt and a cloak, also black, from the general's closet, as well as some boots. With the speed of lightning, he dressed the prince, while Mitchel untied his hands and removed the gag.

\- "Thank you, Mitchel ... I owe you something more than my life"

\- "Thanks later, your Majesty ... the trick will soon be discovered. We must flee. I have horses ready"- Connor hurried, while Mitchel rolled his eyes.

\- "My boyfriend is right, my prince. We must fly from here".

\- "Not without Lou and Cecil. Octavian will kill them in retaliation"

\- "But ..." - Connor couldn’t finish the sentence while Will walked away limping to the corridor.

Reluctantly, both young men followed the prince to the dungeons. Fortunately, there was only one guard at the door, which was cleaned and quickly dispatched by Connor. After releasing the two teenagers, who couldn’t speak in surprise, everyone ran to the stables.

Travis and Katie were waiting for them with three saddled horses. Quickly, Will settled Cecil on his own horse and Connor climbed Lou into his. Meanwhile, Travis gave them directions

\- "I will stay here in the castle to follow the events. Nobody knows that we are involved, and even if they discover you, I can always say that I didn’t know anything ... and that you were cheated out of love"- said the elder Stoll with a mischievous smile while Katie giggled.

With a quick nod, the riders came out the back door of the castle into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> άγγελος του θανάτου (Angel of Death)


End file.
